Real Estate along the coasts is always a good bet for appreciation, as there is only so much land and you can only build in one direction.

The initial title report came back clean—no liens, no encumbrances, no red flags.

I agree with @Isadore Nelson, there will be an initial sting due to to the IRA transaction but with quick math at 8% your 60k will generate about 4.8k in year one, in 4 months at 1.3k you've already eclipsed that, their will also be a larger tax for passive income and an initial penalty from the IRS, but it won't erode the 8 month difference let alone the yearly compounding effect.

Anyone else betting on rural to solve the shortage?

There are limited exemptions such as if you inherited the property where it would be allowed.There are technical means to navigate the 90 day rule but your best bet by far is to talk to the lender and let them know the situation and ask for their direct guidance.  

Best bet?

Hello All,I'm a long time member of the site and learned a ton from the forums and podcast during my initial phase of investing in RE about 6 years ago. 

I’m thinking that an SBA loan would be our best bet but I am not sure.

Co-living is a good bet here since we have a large military presence of young guys living off base. 

I bet a lot of newbies would get some value if you posted them here.